User Comments - ChineseStu
ChineseStu
Posted on: Romance of the Three Kingdoms
April 27, 2012, 01:32 AMThanks to both of you for the tips.
Posted on: Romance of the Three Kingdoms
April 26, 2012, 12:08 AMWhere can I get information on movies based on Three Kingdoms and simplified versions and commentaries in Mandarin?
Posted on: Saying Good-bye at a Tavern in Nanjing -- 金陵酒肆留别
June 16, 2009, 12:23 AMWhat a sad moment it was for me to reach the end of your podcast and learn that what I was beginning to suspect was true--this is the last of your wonderful series on Chinese poetry. I've loved every poem you led us through and will miss looking forward to more. But perhaps a short break will be good for me--it will force me to go back over the poems you've given us and understand them better when I need a poetry fix. Don't wait too long, though, to start a new series--as you can tell, you have a huge crowd of fans out here in cyberspace clamoring for more.
Posted on: Springtime on the River -- 次北固山下
May 28, 2009, 10:05 PMI really like Benchannevy's translation. It has a smooth, tranquil tone. I do agree with Pete's question about ringing out the old year, and would suggest replacing 'And spring intrudes to ring out the old year.' with:
'the old year fades as spring flows in' to emphasize the parallel with the previous verse.
Thanks for bringing us this poem, Pete.
Posted on: Tomb Sweeping Festival -- 清明
April 01, 2009, 01:03 AMLovely poem, great discussion. Thanks, Pete.
With respect to the connection between the rain and the poet's state of mind, this was a very common association in late 19th/early 20th century European. The example that springs to my mind is a verse from a poem by Apollinaire (I think): "Il pleut dans mon coeur comme il pleut dans la ville" (It rains in my heart as it rains in the city). But in thise Chinese poem, the rain chimes in with the other natural image in the poem, the apricot blossom village, to evoke the spring, the season of renewal when the festival takes place. I think it's beautiful that the Chinese have their grave-sweeping festival in the spring, unlike in Europe when remembering ancestors and the dead occurs in fall (Halloween or All Saint's Day).
Posted on: Tomb Sweeping Festival -- 清明
April 01, 2009, 01:03 AMLovely poem, great discussion. Thanks, Pete.
With respect to the connection between the rain and the poet's state of mind, this was a very common association in late 19th/early 20th century European. The example that springs to my mind is a verse from a poem by Apollinaire (I think): "Il pleut dans mon coeur comme il pleut dans la ville" (It rains in my heart as it rains in the city). But in thise Chinese poem, the rain chimes in with the other natural image in the poem, the apricot blossom village, to evoke the spring, the season of renewal when the festival takes place. I think it's beautiful that the Chinese have their grave-sweeping festival in the spring, unlike in Europe when remembering ancestors and the dead occurs in fall (Halloween or All Saint's Day).
Posted on: Sympathy for the Farmers -- 悯农
March 18, 2009, 12:51 AMPete: I'm an enthusiastic fan of this series, thank you, thank you! I discovered it a month ago at about the same time I picked up a book of selections of classical Chinese poetry for intermediate level students. Its title is "Drinking with the Moon" but surprisingly it doesn't have the Li Bai poem you so wonderfully presented. In any case, between this book and your series, I've been getting into Chinese poetry and am thrilled to be able to read, hear, and understand these beautiful gems, so unlike Western poetry.
A suggestion: could you also give a version of the text in traditional characters? I'm painfully learning to recognize them in my book of selections and would like to keep reinforcing my progress.
Posted on: Li Yan's Diary: Love and Italian Food
September 27, 2007, 01:07 AMGreat lesson today! These 'diary dialogues' are a little more demanding than the usual elementary dialogues and help bridge the gap between elementary and intermediate. Thanks, and keep them coming.
Posted on: Advice for a Young Journalist
January 30, 2013, 01:38 AMVery interesting topic. Hope there'll be more like it.